Photo by Cody Kutzko
To cut a long story short: it was back in 2015 when we almost accidentally discovered a very promising outfit from Pittsburgh, Bring Her-duo. They were releasing their first s/t EP via Berlin‘s independent label Black Verb Records and that was a gentle and a distinctive little punch in the stereo and our ears. We saved that name in our memory and we understood after a while that their quality alone was building fame in Europe, and faster than expected. Bring Her, had to return with an at least equal full-length record, and they did it! On March 11, both the band and the German label announced the debut S/T album, which is a way better offering than their first effort.
7 prototype anthems plus one gorgeous collaboration, and another stunning cover in a record which goes alone on repeat and stays in the stereo with honesty and ease, a brilliant album indeed. Industrial sonic tunnels, with a nostalgic, beautiful sorrow by Nadine on the microphone, all musically channeled through her keyboards and Marcus‘ guitars and stuff. A few clear more data: the band plays darkwave-intense, and “sorrow wave” tagged because of the singer’s style and her voice’s minerals. On the other hand, you will discover some obvious deathrock-oriented elements with some occasional blurry touches from the shoegaze technique too. “Curses Not Promises” is the lead single off the album which suddenly appeared last January with the “appropriate” video too!!!
Style, character, inspiration, performance, all of them included in each song where Bring Her unveil their artistic motion like a sharp fan and somehow, abruptly. Emotional songs, intense music, cold-dark-wavey, a bit sad, sleazy in flashes, and all given like from a surgeon right after an operation, hot music, “bloody” stories. 9 songs which work as manifests alone, actually like 9 maxis. Let me tell you about the two “extras” in the album. “Held By No One” is a collaboration with Berlin‘s War Scenes, the noise/ techno moniker of Bleib Modern frontman and Black Verb Records owner Philipp Läufer, where both sides involved did their best to put us in a pretty hazy and smokey sonic environment. This is absolutely the weirdest track of the album, a song that is placed exactly in the middle of the album and an “episode” which also works as the bridge between them. “Osiris Temple” is the band’s cover to Poison Point‘s cute post-punk “monster” which originally appeared in “Motorpsychold”, 2016, LP. In simple words, here Bring Her says “respect the original tune, keep it alive, but totally twist it toward us”, and they surely succeeded in that.
I wanted to give you some more focus tracks but no, no, no, I’ll let you discover that record on your own and choose your own tunes. This is a difficult case, the whole record rocks! Here it is!!!
Bring Her debut s/t album is out now on Black Verb Records (Vinyl), Icy Cold Records (Cd/Digital) and Phage Tapes (Cassette).
Written by Loud Cities Mike.
Keep Up With Bring Her:
photo by Bring Her and Timothée Gainet from Poison Point
